Reading order · 10 books · 1929 to 1951 · Set in the fictional Jefferson, Mississippi
Yoknapatawpha Books in Order
Most of William Faulkner’s novels are set in Yoknapatawpha County, an invented corner of northern Mississippi centred on the town of Jefferson. Families such as the Compsons, Sartorises, McCaslins and Snopeses reappear across books that span the Civil War to the twentieth century.
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Series facts
- Books
- 10
- Published
- 1929 to 1951
- First book
- Sartoris
- Latest
- Requiem for a Nun (1951)
- Setting
- Set in the fictional Jefferson, Mississippi
The reading order
Every Yoknapatawpha book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
10 books · Set in the fictional Jefferson, Mississippi
- 1Sartoris1929With Bayard SartorisYoung Bayard Sartoris returns from the First World War after his twin brother was killed in the air, and drives himself and others towards disaster in the town of Jefferson.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Sound and the Fury1929With Quentin Compson and Benjy CompsonThe decline of the Compson family of Jefferson, Mississippi, told in four parts: by Benjy, a man with a learning disability; by his brother Quentin, a student at Harvard in 1910; by his bitter brother Jason; and finally by an outside narrator.Buy on Amazon
- 3As I Lay Dying1930With Darl BundrenWhen Addie Bundren dies, her husband and children set out to carry her coffin to the town of Jefferson to be buried, as she wished.Buy on Amazon
- 4Sanctuary1931With Temple DrakeTemple Drake, a college girl, is stranded at a bootlegger’s house in the country with a young man, and falls into the hands of a gangster named Popeye.Buy on Amazon
- 5Light in August1932With Joe Christmas and Lena GroveLena Grove, pregnant, walks from Alabama to Mississippi to find the father of her child.Buy on Amazon
- 6Absalom, Absalom!1936With Quentin CompsonQuentin Compson and his roommate at Harvard piece together the story of Thomas Sutpen, a man who arrived in Yoknapatawpha with nothing and set out to build a great plantation and a dynasty.Buy on Amazon
- 7The Unvanquished1938With Bayard SartorisYoung Bayard Sartoris and his friend Ringo, a Black boy his own age, grow up during the Civil War and Reconstruction, with Bayard’s formidable grandmother.Buy on Amazon
- 8Go Down, Moses1942With Isaac McCaslinLinked stories about the McCaslin family, white and Black, including The Bear, in which young Isaac McCaslin learns to hunt and confronts his family’s past.Buy on Amazon
- 9Intruder in the Dust1948Lucas Beauchamp, a proud Black farmer, is accused of murdering a white man, and a white boy he once helped tries to prove his innocence before a mob can lynch him.Buy on Amazon
- 10Requiem for a Nun1951With Temple DrakeEight years after Sanctuary, Temple Drake is married, and her child’s nurse, Nancy Mannigoe, is to hang for killing the baby.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
The novels can be read in any order. The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying are the most famous; Light in August is often recommended as a first Faulkner.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Bayard Sartoris | Quentin Compson | Temple Drake | Benjy Compson | Jason Compson | Darl Bundren | Joe Christmas | Lena Grove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sartoris | LLead | |||||||
| 2 The Sound and the Fury | LLead | LLead | LLead | |||||
| 3 As I Lay Dying | LLead | |||||||
| 4 Sanctuary | LLead | |||||||
| 5 Light in August | LLead | LLead | ||||||
| 6 Absalom, Absalom! | LLead | |||||||
| 7 The Unvanquished | LLead | |||||||
| 8 Go Down, Moses | ||||||||
| 9 Intruder in the Dust | ||||||||
| 10 Requiem for a Nun | LLead |
Characters in the Yoknapatawpha books
16 characters from William Faulkner’s chart, with the number of Yoknapatawpha books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Bayard SartorisYoung man of the Sartoris family | 2 | Sartoris 1929 |
| Quentin CompsonHaunted Compson son | 2 | The Sound and the Fury 1929 |
| Temple DrakeCollege girl | 2 | Sanctuary 1931 |
| Benjy CompsonCompson son with a disability | 1 | The Sound and the Fury 1929 |
| Jason CompsonBitter Compson son | 1 | The Sound and the Fury 1929 |
| Darl BundrenPerceptive Bundren son | 1 | As I Lay Dying 1930 |
| Joe ChristmasDrifter of uncertain race | 1 | Light in August 1932 |
| Lena GrovePregnant young woman on the road | 1 | Light in August 1932 |
| Isaac McCaslinHeir who gives up his inheritance | 1 | Go Down, Moses 1942 |
| Gavin StevensCounty attorney | 3 | Go Down, Moses 1942 |
| Horace BenbowLawyer | 2 | Sartoris 1929 |
| Lucas BeauchampProud Black farmer | 2 | Go Down, Moses 1942 |
| Caddy CompsonCompson daughter | 1 | The Sound and the Fury 1929 |
| Dilsey GibsonCompson family servant | 1 | The Sound and the Fury 1929 |
| Addie BundrenDead mother of the Bundrens | 1 | As I Lay Dying 1930 |
| Thomas SutpenMan who builds a dynasty | 1 | Absalom, Absalom! 1936 |
Crossovers with William Faulkner’s other series
- Snopes: Jason Compson also appears in 1 of its books